From Hometown Hero to Far-Right Radical: A Minnesota Athlete‘s Unraveling
Let me tell you something crazy
You know how every small town has that one athlete everyone loves? The guy who carried the team, helped old ladies cross the street, basically walked on water? Yeah, that was him. But here’s the thing—now his name pops up in FBI watchlists. Wild, right? “Dude completely flipped,” his old buddy Mark told me, still sounding shell-shocked. And honestly? That’s what makes this story hit different. It’s not some faceless extremist—it’s the guy who used to buy Gatorade for the whole team after games.
The golden boy years
Picture this: Friday night lights in rural Minnesota, 2014. Kid’s breaking touchdown records while maintaining a 3.8 GPA—the kind of stats that make college scouts drool. Coach Thompson (we spoke for like an hour) kept saying “work ethic” every other sentence. “Not just talent—the kid stayed late to clean locker rooms without being asked.” That’s the detail that sticks with me. Because here’s the kicker—that same guy would later share memes about “race wars” on Telegram.
When things started getting weird
So after his knee injury sophomore year at state college? That’s when the cracks showed. Failed physical therapy, lost his scholarship, moved back home. Classic downward spiral, except—and this is important—his old crew noticed something else. “He’d rant about ‘globalists’ while chugging Monster Energy,” his ex-girlfriend told me, rolling her eyes. “Like since when did Jason care about international banking?” Exactly. Since never.
The rabbit hole era
2019-2020 was when things went full mask-off. His Facebook—which used to be all fishing pics and motivational quotes—suddenly featured hour-long videos about “white genocide.” And get this: he started citing 9/11 conspiracy theories during pickup basketball games. “Man would deadass quote terrorist manifestos while tying his Nikes,” his cousin admitted. That’s when people stopped making excuses for him.
Small town, big fallout
When the Minneapolis Star Tribune ran that expose last year? Nuclear bomb. His jersey got taken down at the high school. Childhood friends changed their numbers. The local diner where he worked part-time? They repainted the “Employee of the Month” wall. “It’s like mourning someone who’s still alive,” his math teacher told me. Heavy stuff.
Where he’s at now
Last I heard? Some say he’s in Idaho. Others claim he moderates a Discord server for “patriots.” Either way—and this is what keeps me up at night—his story isn’t unique. There’s probably a Jason in your hometown too. Maybe sitting two stools down at the bar. Maybe coaching Little League. And that’s the scary part nobody wants to talk about.
Final thought
Look, I don’t have neat answers here. But next time you see some angry dude in a viral video? Remember—chances are, someone once packed his lunchbox with dinosaur chicken nuggets. The road from homecoming king to hate symbol? It’s shorter than you think.
Source: NY Post – US News
